What is Imodium and when is it used?

Imodium is a brand owned by Johnson & Johnson. The active substance of this product has an unpatented name Loperamide. If you want to buy Imodium cheaper than at your local drugstores, you can get a generic version based on the same formula and components from our online drugstore.

It interacts with opiate of the bowel wall and suppresses the release of acetylcholine and prostaglandins. Slows bowel movement and extend the transit time of its contents. Besides, the medication enhances the tone of the anal sphincter which helps to retain feces and reduce the urge to defecate. Loperamide suppresses the secretion of fluid and electrolytes into the intestinal lumen and/or stimulates the absorption of salts and water from the intestine. In high dosages, it can inhibit the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. The action develops rapidly and lasts 4-6 hours.

When taking Loperamide, no cases of development of tolerance or drug dependence were reported. However, in monkeys, when taking high doses of Loperamide, a morphine-like dependence was observed.

Indications for Loperamide use

- Symptomatic treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea due to a change in diet and quality of food, metabolic and absorption disorders, as well as allergic, emotional, medication, and radiation genesis;

- Treatment of diarrhea of infectious genesis - as an adjuvant; ileostomy (in order to reduce the frequency and volume of the stool, as well as to give density to its consistency).

Contraindications for Loperamide use

You should not buy generic Imodium and use it in:

- Intolerance of the main or additional substances contained in the capsules;

- Intestinal obstruction;

- Diverticulosis;

- Ulcerative colitis;

- Pseudomembranous colitis caused by spectrum antibiotics;

- Other disorders in which suppression of intestinal motility is prohibited;

- Acute dysentery (especially with blood in the stool and accompanied by fever) and other gastrointestinal infections (including Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Campylobacter spp.);

- In children under 6 years old.

Application restrictions

- Severe liver dysfunction;

- Children’s age from 2 to 12 years (possible only with medical supervision).

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

The medication should not be used by pregnant women (especially during the first three months) and breastfeeding women.

Adverse effects of Loperamide

- From the digestive tract: constipation and/or bloating, intestinal colic, discomfort in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, intestinal obstruction (very rare); for resorption tablets (optional) - a burning sensation or tingling of the tongue that occurs immediately after taking the tablets.

- From the CNS and sensory organs: fatigue, drowsiness, lightheadedness.

- Allergic reactions: skin rash, urticaria, very rarely - anaphylactic shock and bulbous rash, including toxic epidermal necrolysis (in most cases, patients took other drugs that could cause adverse reactions or contribute to their occurrence).

- Other: urinary retention (rare).

Mode of application

The initial dose is 2 tablets or capsules (4 mg), then 1 tablet or capsule (2 mg) after each subsequent loose stool. The usual dose is 3-4 tablets or capsules (6-8 mg) per day.

The maximum daily dose is 6 tablets or capsules (12 mg). In acute diarrhea, if no improvement is observed within 48 hours, the medication use should be discontinued.

Overdose Symptoms:

CNS depression (central nervous system) (stupor, impaired coordination of movements, drowsiness, miosis, muscle hypertonicity, respiratory depression), intestinal obstruction.

Treatment: use (if necessary) of an antidote - naloxone. Given that the time of effect of Loperamide is longer than that of naloxone, an antagonist may be reintroduced. Long and careful monitoring of the individual (at least for 1 day) and symptomatic therapy, gastric lavage, the use of activated carbon, mechanical ventilation (mechanical ventilation) are necessary.

Interaction with other substances

- Children should not use drugs with a depressing effect on the central nervous system along with Loperamide.

- Simultaneous use of Loperamide in high dosages together with Quinidine, Ritonavir, itraconazole or ketoconazole led to a raise in the concentration of Loperamide in blood plasma by several times.

- Simultaneous use with Desmopressin led to a 3-fold raise in plasma concentration of Desmopressin, probably due to the slower motility of the gastrointestinal tract.

Consult your healthcare specialist about the interactions of the medication with the drugs you currently use before you buy Loperamide and start using it.

The ability to influence the reaction rate when driving vehicles or other mechanisms

Use the medication with caution as it can cause fatigue, lightheadedness, or sleepiness may occur.

Precautions for Loperamide use

- If within 48 hours of acute diarrhea there is no clinical improvement or constipation develops, bloating, partial intestinal obstruction, the use of the medication is stopped.

- In the case of chronic diarrhea, you can buy generic Loperamide and use it only as directed by a healthcare provider.

- The medication should be used with caution in young kids due to potential effects on the CNS. - In the treatment of diarrhea (especially in children), it is necessary to replenish the loss of liquids and electrolytes. Dehydration may contribute to a change in response to Loperamide.

- The medication must be used with caution in senior individuals (masking of dehydration symptoms and variability of reaction to Loperamide are possible).

- In individuals with liver dysfunction, careful monitoring of signs of toxic damage to the central nervous system is required (Loperamide metabolism slows down).

- In individuals with travelers' diarrhea, a decrease in intestinal motility caused by Loperamide can lead to a prolonged increase in temperature due to a slowdown in the excretion of microorganisms (Shigella, Salmonella, some strains of Escherichia coli, etc.) and their penetration into the intestinal mucosa.

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